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The Relationship between Competitive State Anxiety and Agility Performance among Rugby Players

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A record number of people are playing rugby worldwide as the sport continues to grow and prosper in Asia and across the globe. Rugby sevens players' success is primarily due to their outstanding physical fitness and tactical ability. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between competitive state anxiety and agility performance among rugby players. This study included 250 male and female rugby athletes from higher education institutions who represented Beast Rugby Club, Vioba Blues Rugby Club, and Smookies Rugby Club. A cross-sectional survey was carried out through this research. The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and agility t-test instruments were adapted for this research. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The competitive state anxiety and agility performance among rugby players were examined using the Pearson correlation. According to descriptive analysis, cognitive anxiety was very high, somatic anxiety was moderate, and self-confidence and agility were high at a similar level. While, inferential analysis results revealed a moderate negative relationship between cognitive anxiety and agility (r =-.644), a low negative correlation between somatic anxiety and agility (r =-.310), and a moderate positive relationship between self-confidence and agility (r =.543). As the findings of this study show, athletes at this level are more easily distracted by a sense of fear as well as cognitive anxiety. A variety of approaches or programs can be utilized in the future to improve the quality of rugby athletes in order to achieve a high ranking among the best in the world.

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